IWV Youth Football and Cheer almost finished move when fire destroyed gear

Thursday

Jul 18, 2013 at 9:18 AMJul 18, 2013 at 9:25 AM

A suspected arson fire destroyed the concession stand and storage room for Indian Wells Valley Youth Football and Cheer, and Baseball at around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 14.

By Mike BodineSTAFF WRITERmbodine@ridgecrestca.com

A suspected arson fire destroyed the concession stand and storage room for Indian Wells Valley Youth Football and Cheer, and Baseball at around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 14. The fire came the very weekend the organization was set to begin moving to its new location, LeRoy Jackson Park. Cheer had all 100 of its uniforms, all of its indoor mats and a P.A. system inside the building, along with plenty of baseball bats, cleats and gear. Collateral damage included the concession equipment – refrigerator, ice maker, sinks – all unsalvageable. The fire also destroyed an abandoned building across the street. Initial damage estimates of both the buildings and its contents are $200,000. According to leaders within the sports organization, its insurance will not cover any of the loss.However, according to the city clerk, the city's insurance will cover the loss of equipment as part of its policy on the concession stand.For the cheerleaders, the fire is a set back, as only the equipment was destroyed, but the program is thriving.Youth Cheer president Trina Foisy and treasurer Connie Williams said Tuesday the program is still going strong, still wanting more kids to sign up and looking forward to the new season. The first game is Aug. 24, practice starts Monday, July 22. IWV Youth Football and Cheer camp started Monday and continues through Thursday; the camp drums up support and teaches the boys and girls the fundamentals of their chosen sport. The smaller concession stand at LeRoy Jackson Park will be open welcoming kids for registration from 6 to 8 p.m. The new location has a concession stand, albeit smaller than the other and with no storage. The concession stand has been vacant for years, Williams said, and in need of serious overhaul before it can open for business. Williams said she had just met with the health inspector who said the concession stand needs a three-basin sink, a commercial refrigerator and ice machine and ice maker to bring it up to Health and Safety code. The building also lacks a floor drain and needs additional plumbing work. It does have electricity, though and a microwave not stored at the complex, is ready for business, Williams added. The concession stand is a major source of revenue for the organization, Foisy explained. But Foisy said she was unsure if there is enough money in the budget to get the stand up to code, and this was before the fire. The concession stand is now a Catch 22 – a money maker, without enough money to get it going, and any money spent on the stand will take away from other essentials like uniforms and balls. Uniforms for Cheer are essential per bylaws.The field at the LeRoy Jackson Park also needs a little work before sports business can resume. Williams explained the goal posts still need to be uprooted and replanted, including holes dug and concrete poured. The field needs an announcer's stand. The field also needs a scoreboard per organization bylaws, a $5,000 expense, Williams Cheer also lost the thick blue, vinyl mats used for indoor practice and competition. Foisy estimated the loss of the mats at $6,000. She added the mats were only a couple years old, and the result of years of fundraising and saving. Williams explained that the organization saves for new equipment, like shoulder pads and helmets, but that money had gone into the move. Then the fire hit."I felt worried and a little sick to my stomach," Foisy said of how she felt when she heard news of the fire. "The building was not my big concern but the things that were lost in the fire. I do not want the kids to be effected in any way by this loss." She added that she has seen this community come together and give a helping hand where its needed. She gave the example of $4,100 being raised in a single weekend in March to benefit a former local coach who lost his family including infant child to an Oklahoma tornado. "I know that we have a great community that comes together to help when there is a need," Foisy said. Foisy added that Burroughs High School junior varsity cheerleaders are helping with camp this week.The organization is vital for the community and its children, Foisy said. The organization involves hundreds if not thousands of kids, parents and volunteers and gives the kids of the community something constructive to do with their idle time. "This town needs sports," Foisy said.The Sophomore cheerleaders won national honors at a major competition in Las Vegas in January. The kids got jackets proclaiming their victory and status. The group is busy with moving and getting organized at a different space but are still finding time to sell raffle tickets. Tickets are $5 each with first prize being a 55-inch television set and second place a iPad mini. And, the group already has plans for its next raffle, named the "Super Bowl Raffle" with first prize being two Super Bowl tickets, or $3,000 cash. To sign up as a cheerleader or football player, parents and kids should meet with coaches at the camp at LeRoy Jackson Park from 6 to 8 p.m. until Thursday or by calling Foisy at (760) 301-4493. Those wishing to donate time can call Foisy and those wishing to donate monetarily can send to IWVYFC, P.O. Box 2098, Ridgecrest, CA 93556. For more information on the program go to www.iwvburros.com. The organization is also seeking sponsors.As of Tuesday at 2 p.m. the Ridgecrest Police Department said that they have followed up on the few leads they had are still asking for the public's help in identifying the person or persons responsible for the fire. RPD detectives said they are seeking information on anything unusual that happened around or near the Kerr McGee Youth Sports Complex at 3:30 a.m., the estimated time the fire started, or sooner. Call RPD with any information regarding this incident, contact Detective Merzlak at (760) 499-5113 or Detective Lloyd at (760) 499-5112.